Advice and learnings

Stylish storage ideas to hide your dirty laundry

Contrary to the typical teenagers bedroom floor, most people want to hide their dirty laundry! Doing the laundry is a humdrum chore, but choosing a clever hiding place for your dirties can make it a little easier and your laundry room tidier. Who’d have thought there would be so many clever and stylish options for storing dirty clothes until laundry day? To help you decide on the size, style and location of your sometimes-smelly-stash, first consider these practicalities:

Do you have a large family that will accumulate dirty laundry faster? You’ll need a larger storage area.

Does someone in the household bring home a lot of dirt and grime in their clothes? These are best stored in the laundry.

Do you often have sweaty sports and gym clothes? You’ll want a storage option that provides air circulation so moisture can dry before wash day.

Do you have limited space in your home/laundry? Think practical and space-saving.

Will you have to carry a hamper to the laundry every week? Choose something lightweight and portable.

Our five stylish storage ideas to hide your dirty laundry

1. Freestanding laundry hampers

Freestanding laundry hampers are the most-used and affordable way to store the dirty laundry. Very commonly, people keep a their clothes hamper in their bathroom or corner of the bedroom. Advantages of a freestanding hamper? They’re available in all sizes, shapes, styles, colours and textures. From the cheapest department store to designer home ware sites, you’ll be sure to find one to suit the space you have. Don’t just choose on looks though, consider portability and weight if you’re going to lug it to the laundry every week. We’ve found some styles to help you with hamper inspiration.

Under bench hampers are perfect when there is an open void under a benchtop in the laundry. This is a simple and effective way to keep your dirty laundry out of sight and helps maintain a tidy laundry. Under bench hampers could be freestanding square baskets or clever trolley-style hampers on wheels.

For large families who accumulate a lot of dirty laundry before washing day, the store and sort concept is ideal. You can expand the under-bench concept further by using a number of stylish baskets to sort clothing items. Wire baskets can be stack-mounted on the wall, or use smaller separate baskets on shelving.

Bespoke laundry drawers are a popular design luxury in new laundries. Favoured by those who love a clutter-free, minimalist space. Any number of hidden-hamper drawers can be integrated into the cabinetry, just like integrated appliances in a kitchen. The tilt-drawer is also a popular option as it looks identical to a tall drawer but tilts open rather than slides out.

These are a slightly more economical version of the bespoke laundry drawer, but still an integrated design. There are two common types of slide-out designs: where the hamper is suspended in a bracket and can be lifted out; or the drawer is designed to have a base & simple bar sides to hold a specific size plastic laundry hamper. Due to the weight restriction of the sliding mechanism, these are usually designed for smaller hampers, so check the weight capacity and ensure the drawer can slide all the way out. If you’re choosing an off-the-shelf plastic hamper, choose a style that is readily available should you need a new one.

Balance by Deborah Hutton is created and edited by Australian media personality and brand ambassador Deborah Hutton. Deborah is one of the most recognisable and best-known personalities of modern Australia.